Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites

• Conduct tours through museum, historic sites from script to visitors.
• Share information regarding the mission of HBMS, present opportunities for support and educational and special event activities to the guests. Collect visitor statistics and encourage feedback on social media and HBMS website.
• Possess the ability to lead group tours and answer questions regarding our local history and sites, as well as conduct walk-through of galleries and report any issues to museum site manager.
• Must be capable of skillfully dealing with diversity of visitors under a variety of circumstances and communicate emergency management procedures to guests.
• Monitor visitor activities to ensure compliance with museum standards and security of guests and sites.

The museum host/hostess provides a welcoming atmosphere for museum visitors.

They are responsible for monitoring collections, assisting with daily museum operations and special events, and answering questions.

Docents & tour guides introduce museum guests to the heritage stories they find at our many historic sites. They may also be trained to provide seasonal tours.

Volunteers interested in being trained as docents will undergo site specific training enabling them to provide guests with engaging tours of the displayed collections.

Docents must:

• Wear period appropriate costumes when necessary
• Must have ability to provide exceptional guest experience
• Punctuality and dependability are a must

The Colonial Garden at Burnside Plantation on Schoenersville Road in Bethlehem is offering gardening and grounds opportunities to individuals interested in planting and tending this wonderful historical colonial garden. The garden is planted with heirloom seeds and plants and everything is grown organically, as would have been done in the colonial period. Plants, seeds, and compost are provided at no cost and gardeners share fresh produce from the garden.

This opportunity is great for groups!

Help us keep our sites looking their best by assisting with:

• post event cleaning
• regular landscaping
• routine walkthroughs to collect trash and recycling

Volunteers who are interested in event planning and administration can become special committee liaisons.

They attend meetings and assist with the planning and implementation of Historic Bethlehem's special events.

Volunteer positions needed for every Saturday at Burnside, April-November.

• Summer Kitchen Demonstrator
  • Summer Kitchen demonstrators work with our foodways volunteer lead to learn about colonial cooking practices and share that information with visitors. Trained volunteers will be able to demonstrate colonial cooking practices in the kitchen.  Volunteers may be expected to wear a period appropriate costume provided to them.
• Volunteer Docent (house & barn) 
  • Volunteer Burnside Docents share the history of Burnside Plantation and can guide visitors through the House and Johnson Barn.  Volunteers must be able to talk with groups of visitors of all ages.  
• Kids’ Activity Volunteer
  • Kids Activity volunteers demonstrate the crafts and activity offerings provided each week.  Volunteers should have experience working with students or family-friendly activities. 
• Pop-up Shop Volunteer
  • Burnside pop-up shop volunteers assist visitors in the shop space and manage store transactions.  Shop volunteers are responsible for communicating when inventory is low. 
• Burnside Greeter*
  • Burnside Greeters welcome visitors to Burnside Plantation and help provide information about weekly activities.  Volunteers may be asked to assist with other activity offerings as needed. 

All volunteers are expected to be able to answer visitor questions about upcoming HBMS programs/special events and talk about membership opportunities. 

*Greeter volunteers are suggested to provide the best visitor experience, though all volunteers are expected to welcome visitors and provide information.